Beauxbatons | School Information

INSTITUT POUR L'ÉGALITÉ ET LA LIBERTÉ DE MAGIE BEAUXBATONS

HISTORY OF BEAUXBATONS

The Académie de Magie Beauxbâtons, founded in 1205, was a bastion of education in Western Europe. Known for it's emphasis on the arts and its atmosphere of tolerance, Beauxbatons accepted any student no matter their family history. The school was established to address the problem faced by muggleborn witches and wizards who lacked the connections and resources to obtain the knowledge necessary to live in the wizarding world. When intolerance and fear were on the rise in England, Beauxbatons readily opened its doors to all seeking to continue their education even in dark times.

Unfortunately this made the school a prime target for the forces pushing the world towards darkness and exclusion. When Voldemort rose again, the school was attacked. The stately palace was decimated, staff and students alike were shown no mercy. Only the timely intervention and ultimate sacrifice of the Headmistress was able to hold off the onslaught until French Ministry officials could arrive. After the attack, the school was closed for an indefinite amount of time. Students were sent to smaller government-run schools in their home countries.

From the ashes of the old school, something is rising. A hidden network of underground cells are teaching the new generation. Now called the Institut pour L'égalité et la Liberté de Magie Beauxbatons, staff are training students in more practical subjects like hand-to-hand combat, espionage, and forgery. The goal of the new Beauxbatons is to arm the newest wave of revolutionaries withe the tools and skills that will keep them alive and hopefully see them through to better times. Some very talented and brave individuals are even being recruited by covert branches of the French Ministry for work that is both needed and dangerous.

SORTING AND HOUSES

Secrecy is of the utmost importance to the new staff and students of Beauxbatons. Students accepted to the school are whisked off to an underground system of caves and catacombs deep beneath Paris, hidden by layers of ancient magics. Each student is given a black hooded robe enchanted to protect their identities prior to being sorted. One by one, the students approach the crystal shard which was salvaged from the ruins of the former school grounds. They place their hand upon the crystal, and the color emanating from the stone tells everyone which house they belong to. A white light means house Loinmer; the house of deep thinkers and wanderers. If the crystal emits a yellow light, then the student belong to house Vraicœur, the house of the generous and loving. Green signifies house Douxéclat, the house of dreamers and the ambitious. Finally, a red light means the student belongs to the newest house, created to honor the last Headmistress of the original Beauxbatons; house Maxime for those who are fierce and selfless.

Because the students are technically attending different branches of the shell school which acts as Beauxbaton's cover, the dorm situation is unlike most other magical boarding schools. Older students choose a partner from among their housemates. Incoming first-year students can either request a partner from their year and house or be assigned a partner based on a personality spell administered after they are sorted. Fifth, sixth, or seventh year students, called Handlers, are assigned a pair of younger students from their house to mentor. First year pairs are partnered with fifth years, second and third with sixth, and fourth with seventh. These two pairs are called 'pods.' The dormitories are scattered across Western Europe and are set up apartment-style with private sleeping areas all connected to shared kitchen, bath, and common spaces. Pods from each house live int he apartments together. These apartment groupings are called 'cohorts.' Cohorts and pods change from year to year, but you keep your partner for your entire time at Beauxbatons. 

LAYOUT OF THE SCHOOL

The front for L'Institut pour L'égalité et la Liberté de Magie Beauxbatons is a chain of shell schools called the L'Institut Thibaut Gérin-Lajoie pour la Pratique Magique et la Prudence, which mostly takes in muggleborn students from all over Europe as well as accepting transfer students from the United Kingdom. It's a Ministry-approved option for families looking to enroll their students in a safe environment. These schools are the portals through which the students are moved about during their actual time at Beauxbatons.

The real school is actually a series of cells scattered across Western Europe. They are underground, both figuratively and occasionally literally. Classes can be held in old barns, abandoned houses, derelict warehouses, or innocuous office buildings. The main office is located in a hidden section of the catacombs that run beneath Paris. Most administration duties are performed there, although everything is fairly decentralized to make certain that losing one cell, or even two or three, won't cause the whole operation to collapse. Classes are held seven days a week, with every second and fourth Sunday off.

CLASSES AND ACTIVITIES

Due to a top-secret French Ministry recruiting program, a number of classes and instructors were already in place when the old Beauxbatons fell, making it easier to get something up and running after the school was hit. There are only a few classes offered currently, due to the rushed nature of the situation but more will open as the year progresses. Currently, all students must take Transfiguration, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Muggle Studies, Urban Survival, Emergency Medicine, and an English language course. Optional classes include things like code breaking, espionage, and multiple language courses. Class schedules are non-standard and shift from month to month with each cohort receiving a new schedule prior to the first of each month.

Because of the lack of open space, Quidditch is not a viable sport. Instead, there are two sporting events, one mandatory and the other elective. The mandatory event is called Trouver et Dérober, or Find and Steal. It's essentially an elaborate game of capture the flag, where teams are pitted against one another in various locations and given objectives to accomplish. The first team to execute their objective without being caught wins. This is a test of a cohort's communication and tactical skills, talents, and teamwork. The second sport is le Labyrinthe, or The Maze. Competitors must race and navigate through a complicated and twisting path on their brooms, flying in low light. There are obstacles and the professors and other students play "Minotaurs" who will try and chase or disable a competitor. The first student to reach the maze's center wins.

HONORS AND THE HOUSE CUP

Staff and professors can award students honors for outstanding behavior in class and field exercises. Intelligence, valor, teamwork, cunning, as well as exhibitions of other skills can earn both individuals and cohorts honors. The house which has the most honors at the end of the year is awarded the House Cup. Members of the winning house are usually given a treat of some kind, such as tickets to a show or special event.

THE BAZAAR

Due to the decentralized nature of the institute, there is no traditional school town like would have been found at the original Beauxbatons. Instead, students in third year and beyond are allowed to a twice-monthly trip to that is know as the Bazaar, which is a marketplace which travels across Europe. Students of an eligible age are portkeyed to the Bazaar in the late morning and portkeyed back by 20:00 that evening. There are a few permanent stalls in the Bazaar, but also a number of stalls which can be seasonal or change depending on the town or country the Bazaar happens to be in this month.